Every time I go back to this place I'm reminded about how much you get for your money. This course is always in top shape, and for under 100 dollars I think it could be one of the best deals for quality and challenge in California. Bayonet can be a brutal challenge with its narrow tree lined fairways, but I think the greens here are a little less tricky than Black Horse. Also, there are some incredibly long par 4s which force you to battle your way uphill to blind greens. With that said, keep it in the fairway and there's not too many tricks here. Some condition updates: fairways were fantastic, some divots in popular landing/layup areas, but overall in fantastic shape. Greens were also super fast, not soft for winter conditions, but still more receptive than I've seen during the summer. Overall they were fast and true, excellent condition. Sand was also fantastic, very fluffy and pretty easy to consistently judge shots.

A final note, if you book as NCGA member on their site, this doesn't include a cart and is a little tricky on their part. You can book a regular rate or golfnow rate (which both include cart) for less than the price it cost me to add a cart to the walking NCGA rate.

For winter conditions this course is doing great. There were some soft spots and we had to stay on cart paths, but the course appears to have held up well through the December storms. The fairways are in great shape, and the rough is very punishing. I was most impressed with the greens. They were nice and consistent, quick, but receptive. Best greens I have played in the area so far this winter.

First time playing in Arizona so wasn't sure what to expect. Overall, similar to Palm Springs, but better. When you arrive, bags are taken, carts are setup, and off you go to the range. The place is a zoo, people everywhere, yet somehow it works. When it's time to go, someone will announce your group and off you follow to the tee box. I have played a lot of expensive courses now, the service here was at the top of the list. Now onto the round...

The raptor course is tough. Ever missed a putt by inches and watched it roll off the green before? You probably will here. The way the course is setup, every drive is a piece of cake, and every approach is hell. Most of the fairways are rather wide, we didn't have any issues with OB. The greens are also pretty large for the most part, but the pins were often placed 1-2 yards off the fringe, with a severe drop off the green. Most of the greens are elevated a little, so if you miss a green you will have to chip back up the hill get on the green. Although the greens are huge, hitting the green in regulation was no guarantee of a 2 putt. The greens are quick and tricky. Not too much undulation, just enough to cause misreads that fly past the hole.
Besides the greens, the fairways are perfect. For as much play as the course is getting this time of year, you can't tell. Not a single divot was seen on the fairways. Definitely nice to see for the price this course charges. Also, there's a lot of well placed bunkers here, which reminded me of Desert Willow in Palm Springs. If you miss a green and end up in a bunker, it's probably going to be very deep. Usually I don't mind bunkers, but these were borderline unfair.
Overall, this course is fantastic, but you must bring your iron game as shot placement is crucial on the approach. Overall I loved this course despite some trickery with the greens.

Played right in between storms this Saturday and it was well worth the chance! No one on the course, and no issues at all with water or flooding. The course soaked up all the water, no flooded or soft areas at all. I hadn't been to the course in many years but this may be my new favorite in the area. The course provides some very fun risk and reward holes. The final hole has a great split fairway with a lake in the middle, making for a very memorable final tee shot and approach. The course doesn't play too hard once you know where to cheat the corners, but the variety of holes is what makes it so fun.

Fairways: awesome condition, no major divot damage, looked like no one ever plays here. I would say this fairways were excellent for winter, and would still probably be a 8 or 9 if it was summer.

Greens: the most surprising thing about my visit. Even with rain for the previous 24h, the greens were dry to the touch. They were not spongy or soft, and the ball rolled great. There was absolutely no ball marks on the greens, again making me think no one even plays here. Best greens I have seen this whole winter season, absolutely perfect.

Tees and rough: tees were all great, no issues to report. Rough was not too thick, pretty easy to get out of without issue.

Overall I think this course is awesome due to the nice variety of shots you get to play. Holes are fun, but can be punishing if you choose the risky approaches. I suspect this course will be booked solid in the summer, but the good news is that you can finally book tee times online now using golfnow.

Played 12/26/13. After playing Elkhorn a few days before, I have to say this course is keeping up nicely.

Greens: excellent condition, completely smooth, a little soft but quick! No ball mark damage like the last time I played here. Overall just how I like them, challenging but not so fast they are unfair.

Fairways: excellent. For winter they were not soggy at all, ball rolled great. No divot damage at all.

Tees and sand: tee boxes in excellent to great shape. Only a few par 3s had some divots but nothing crazy or out of the ordinary. Tee boxes were level. Sand was good on most holes, a little thin and wet but overall no complaints.

I said Elkhorn was better a few days ago, but after this visit they are equally great. I'd play whichever is less busy for the day.

Played Christmas Eve morning, not busy at all so we got through in less than 4 hrs. Course is a little short, but greens make up for it. Greens were super fast, with some ball marks. Overall they were a very tough challenge today. The fairways were in great condition for winter. No soggy areas, just a little brown but no dead spots. Rough was thin but still fine. Tee boxes were in pretty good shape also. Compared to the local courses recently: greens faster but more marked than Dry Creek, overall better value and green conditions than Reserve at Spanos Park.

Winter update: Course still in good condition. Played first week of December and everything was a little soft. The greens were still lightning quick, but bumpy. A little tough to putt with the greens that quick, but overall course is still in good condition. Fairways are great, sand was just good, a little inconsistent on the amount in each bunker.

This was my first time back in about 3 years. Reading past reviews about slow play and long rounds on the other Orchard course I was cautious, but thought things may have changed. That was not the case for the Hills course, we stood around looking at the 3 groups in front of us on each tee for about 6 hours. It was miserable.

Why is it like this? My observations: No marshall on a busy weekend and two tournaments scheduled first thing in the morning. We arrived to play at 11am, we teed off at noon. If they tell you they are behind by 20 mins when you check in, RUN! Don't pay, they really mean they are behind an hour.

Here's the info on the course conditions, but it shouldn't matter, you really should not play this course until they get their act together. They are charging $70 for a 6 hour round, this is ridiculous for NorCal.

Greens: Sandy, probably still recovering from aeration. They were quick on the non sandy parts with some tough breaks if you didn't keep it under the hole. Balls were holding on approach just fine.

Fairways: Excellent condition, nothing more to add.

Rough: Excellent condition, and thick. If you missed the fairway you could find it, but not really able to go for the green.

Overall: I love the course layout, and used to love playing here, but I won't be back. Read my reviews, I'm not usually negative, but I agree with all the previous posts (check Orchard course reviews too) from the last few years about slow rounds. They have lost control.

Course was so good last time I had to go back. See my previous review, everything is still just as good.

A few new updates: greens were hard and fast this time, to the point where approaches were not holding at all and ending up off the back. It was a little dry and windy this weekend which contributed to the slick greens. Also, the rough is pretty short now, leading to a lot of drives rolling a long way even if you missed the fairway. This made the driving a little less challenging and more forgiving, but the slick greens more than made up for it. Hurry up and get out there before they punch the greens, fantastic challenge!

Played a few weeks ago and course was in great shape. Not busy at all on a Saturday morning made for a quick round. This course can be challenging due to some very tight tree lined fairways as well as some well placed trees guarding the greens. There is water in play on a few holes but overall not a problem. The greens were in excellent shape and were rolling at about a 10. If you can drive the ball straight you can score very well on this course. Compared to other courses in the area recently this course is better quality than Swenson, cheaper and more challenging than Elkhorn, but not quite as good of quality for the money as the Reserve at Spanos is right now.

This is a fun course with a wide variety of hole layouts. Many holes require shorter than driver with some fun doglegs and blind uphill approaches. One thing to note is there are no more blue tees for some reason. They have either white or black but no tees where the blues used to be. We played white and it ended up being too short if you normally play blues. Overall this is a really fun course if you stay disciplined and manage the course properly. You don't need to hit driver on a few holes, but positioning the approach properly is required. Water is in play on a few holes, including a very cool downhill par 3 with a lake across the front of it.

Fairways are in great shape, plenty of roll, and no soft spots. Fairways were all lush, no thin spots at all. Rough was also in great condition. It was lush but not too difficult to get out of it. Bunkers were a little hard, probably could use a little more sand, but overall they were still playable. Greens were all in pretty good condition, with the speed being a little inconsistent. Some greens were extremely fast, others not as much, making it difficult to judge some tricky downhill putts. No major divot damage here, so if you can get the speeds right, the putts should roll true.

Played on 3/2/13 at 9am. The course was booked solid until 1:30 due to the warm weather. Even though the first few holes were backed up, the course opened up and pace of play was not an issue for the rest of the round.

Greens: A lot of foot traffic/ cleat damage on the greens. Not sure why, it seems like people are careless walking around the greens, leading to huge spike marks and footprints. Greens also had a lot of ball marks. Aside from the heavy traffic, the greens were very firm, and quick. Play shots to the front of the pin and you will be fine.

Fairways and rough: Both are in excellent condition. Plenty of roll on the fairways and no divot damage at all. Rough was fine, I don't remember much about it, other than it is thick around the greens making for tricky chips onto slick greens.

Sand: Excellent also. Plenty of sand in all the bunkers. The waste bunkers are a little thin right now, but I don't expect them to be as nice as the regular bunkers.

Overall- Aside from the greens being a little worn from traffic this course was playing awesome. The quality of the course compared to others in the area was worth the green fee. If the greens recover soon the course will be perfect.